When I was with the Imagineers at Disney, we used all kinds of different ways to stimulate creativity. These were incredibly important to the culture of the organization.

I believe all of the problems that we face require an interdisciplinary approach to solving. No one skill or idea tackles the complexity of life. We need to encourage the development of individual unique talents in individuals and even our children. Let them find what they are good at and then bring those skills together across different disciplines.

The hardest part of creativity is overcoming the status quo and saying “What if We? How Could We? How Might We?”

This requires immense courage. The willingness to stick our necks out and potentially look foolish or make mistakes. In a group setting like with the Imagineers, there had to a culture of trust so they could have this courage to take chances.

I tell my short story about going from a college graduate, to art management, to moving into leadership at Disney. You’ll see it wasn’t a direct path, as I worked at the Disney restaurants as a hostess to just get my foot in the door.

When collaborating it’s important to emphasize the individual strengths and skills of our team members. Do not get over concerned with their weaknesses.

What is their unique approach to problem solving? What skills do they bring to the table? These are the things that will energize and bring them joy as well making helping the team work more effectively towards their goals.